Recruiting soldiers and buying horses (1)
Fortunately, Li Yueshu thought the same way and corrected her voice, saying, "No need."
As soon as she finished speaking, the door suddenly opened, revealing Li Yueshu's personal maid. The two women looked at each other, and Yan Qing, empty-handed, felt quite embarrassed, but fortunately, the veil concealed most of her expression.
"Then I'll take my leave."
Yan Qing fled quickly, while the maid stood outside the door, closed it, and guarded the entrance.
Unable to peek, Yan Qing had no choice but to go back to the backyard to find Deng Chan.
It's obvious that she must have angrily carried Xue Tuan back to the backyard, and is probably already arguing with Cheng Changfeng.
Back in the backyard, One Two Two Three Three Five was fast asleep, while General was chasing Cheng Changfeng on the grass, his four paws completely out of control, which made him laugh.
Sisi was the smallest and thinnest kitten in the litter, but she was the bravest.
"Cheng Changfeng, if you keep bullying the general like this, I can take him away anytime. You'd better watch out." Deng Chan lay on the chaise longue, with Xue Tuan nestled against her. This chaise longue was brought out by Yan Qing to sunbathe, but Deng Chan occupied it most of the time.
When Yan Qing came in, Cheng Changfeng didn't react much. Deng Chan snorted heavily again, turned her head to the side, and was still angry with Yan Qing.
"Young Miss, what's wrong?" Yan Qing walked over, picked up Xue Tuan, and rubbed her a few times.
When Yan Qing asked the question, Deng Chan didn't hold back and said willfully, "Why did you let Li Yueshu in? I hate her the most! Cat Cat Tea House doesn't serve her!"
“She’s a princess, after all. If I don’t give her face, my little shop will have to close tomorrow.” Yan Qing sat down next to her to explain, squeezing her so much that she sat up abruptly, still looking unconvinced.
"She wouldn't dare! With me protecting you, no one will dare to mess with Cat Cat Tea House." Deng Chan raised her chin and said confidently.
Cheng Changfeng picked up the general, walked to the two of them, and solemnly called her name: "Deng Chan".
Deng Chan's arrogance vanished instantly. She got up, took the general from his arms, and pouted, "Alright, alright."
Just as Yan Qing was about to speak to ease the tension, Fang Bi walked in.
She said that Prince Ning had arrived and was waiting outside the tea garden.
The business had already closed for the day. When Yan Qing and his group arrived at the entrance, Li Yueshu was talking with Rong Xuan.
Seeing them arrive, Li Yueshu smiled gently and said softly, "Cat Cat Tea House is truly worth a visit. I haven't had enough fun today, so I'll come back another day. Boss Yan, farewell."
"Princess, please take care." Yan Qing bowed slightly, and when she looked up again, she found Rong Xuan looking at her. Their eyes met, and Rong Xuan raised an eyebrow. Just from that expression, Yan Qing could tell that the princess had been sent by Rong Xuan.
She didn't believe Rong Xuan was unaware of the animosity between Deng Chan and Li Yueshu; he was clearly trying to cause trouble for her.
Yan Qing glared at him fiercely in return.
Their brief eye contact lasted only an instant, unnoticed by anyone. Only after Li Yueshu had walked away did Deng Chan emerge from behind the door and head straight for Rong Xuan, "Brother Rong Xuan, what brings you here!"
Yan Qing retreated to Cheng Changfeng's side. He had a stern face and was still holding the general in his arms. Deng Chan had given it back to him after hearing that Rong Xuan was at the door.
Poor kid, this is a love triangle.
"I'm going to the palace to visit my mother today, and I thought I'd give you a ride along the way," Rong Xuan said to Deng Chan in a calm and gentle voice.
Hearing this, Deng Chan was very happy. "Did Aunt send you to pick me up? Then let's go quickly!"
The two boarded the carriage. Remembering something, Deng Chan turned around and waved to Yan Qing and Cheng Changfeng, "Sister Yan Qing, Cheng Changfeng, see you tomorrow!"
Without waiting for their response, the carriage carried the two away.
The remaining two people with unpleasant expressions stood in front of the Cat Tea House. Yan Qing's displeasure stemmed from the fact that Rong Xuan had claimed to be helping her but had secretly sabotaged her. Just thinking about Li Yueshu's disappointing return today made Yan Qing want to give Rong Xuan a good beating.
As for Cheng Changfeng, well, it's just the thoughts of a young man, no need to elaborate.
Back in the courtyard, the two bumped into Miss Jiang and her entourage, who were walking out. They were chatting and laughing, and Fangbi, who was leading them, explained with a smile, "Little Leopard hasn't had enough fun and doesn't want Miss Jiang and the others to leave."
"It seems the little leopard really likes you all. I hope you'll all come and play with it more often in the future," Yan Qing said politely with a smile, which made them very happy.
Ms. Jiang even stated directly that she would come again tomorrow.
Then Fangbi led them away.
On the other side, Deng Chan chattered incessantly in the carriage, while Rong Xuan listened with a smile, saying nothing. Deng Chan didn't care whether he was listening or not, and continued talking about what had happened these past few days. She hadn't seen her aunt for many days, and she was very excited.
Once inside the palace gates, Rong Xuan spoke, "If Mother asks about Miss Yan..."
"I know, Sister Yanqing said that she shouldn't let others know about her affairs, and I will keep it a secret." Deng Chan answered eagerly before he could finish speaking, looking very proud.
“A-Chan, Xuan’er.”
Inside the luxurious palace, Deng Anhua, dressed in fine clothes, had a beautiful face that showed no signs of aging, making her look more like Deng Chan's older sister.
Ignoring all etiquette, Deng Chan rushed straight to her side and hugged her tightly, "Auntie, I missed you so much!"
Behind him, Rong Xuan bowed and greeted her, "Mother Empress."
"Xuan'er, come here quickly. It's been a few days. Let your mother take a good look at you." Deng Anhua gently stroked Deng Chan in her arms and beckoned to Rong Xuan.
This scene repeated itself many times. When the three talked about their recent situation, Rong Xuan remained a quiet listener.
"I heard someone bullied you at the theater that day. Were you hurt?"
"No, Brother Rongxuan stood up for me."
......
As the conversation continued, it inevitably touched on Deng Chan's recent frequent visits to the Cat Tea House. Deng Anhua had arranged for people to protect her secretly, which she knew, so she could only avoid the main point and say, "Sister Yanqing, like my aunt, also likes cats very much. I often go to her place to play."
"Yan Qing? I've never heard you mention such a person before."
Deng Chan only knew that she had to keep their relationship a secret, but she didn't know how to explain it, so she had to throw the question to Rong Xuan, "I met her at Rong Xuan's residence."
Deng Anhua looked at Rong Xuan with suspicion and asked, "At Xuan'er's residence?"
"Well, not long ago, Miss Yan came to the capital to do business, but she was robbed by bandits on the way. She lost both her money and her goods and had nowhere to stay, so we let her stay at our residence for a few days. She contacted her relatives and friends not long ago and has now left." Rong Xuan was not flustered at all, obviously having prepared her explanation in advance.
Deng Chan nodded repeatedly from the side.
Hearing their explanation, Deng Anhua believed it, but felt somewhat disappointed. Her son was the kindest of all, and would always lend a helping hand in such situations. However, bringing the person back to the mansion would inevitably lead to gossip. She still reminded him, "This is a good thing, but men and women are different after all, and neither of them is married yet. We should be more careful in the future."
Rong Xuan nodded and obediently said, "I forgot for a moment, I won't do it again."
"Alright, alright, there's no need to be so serious when we're just talking as mother and son." Deng Anhua felt a little troubled by his serious assurance. He was good in every way, except that he wasn't very close to her. So she changed the subject, "Xuan'er is twenty-three this year. It's time to think about marriage. Is there a woman you like?"
Deng Chan, who was standing to the side, was also very curious and blinked at him.
"My mother can make the decision for me."
A boring answer.
But that's really what Rong Xuan thought in his heart. He didn't care who he married; it didn't matter who it was.
In the following two weeks, Cat Tea House became very popular. With the double endorsement of Deng Chan and Li Yueshu, more and more people came, and some even had their servants line up in front of Cat Tea House early in the morning.
With long queues forming every day, Cat Cat Tea House has caused quite a stir in Beijing.
The practice of queuing has become increasingly distorted, with some people even queuing as soon as the Cat Tea House closes. The tea house only serves five people a day, yet the queue keeps getting longer and longer; the sixth person in line becomes the first the next day, and people outside queue day and night.
Seeing things were getting out of control, Yan Qing quickly called a halt, declaring that queuing was invalid. Only the person arriving in person could enter, and she also relaxed the restrictions. Starting next month, the business would operate all day, accepting only five people at a time. Other guests could wait outside until the previous guest left before entering.
Another day of business ended, and Yan Qing was exhausted, while Fang Bi was still full of energy, happily playing with the dolls and kittens she had bought at the market. With even more customers to come, the Cat Tea House was simply too busy with only two people. Yan Qing decided to hire some help the next day and train them by next month.
With that in mind, Yan Qing posted a notice that the shop would be closed tomorrow, and also sent invitations to Deng Chan and Cheng Changfeng, asking them to come and visit if they had time.
The next day, the two were already waiting outside the courtyard. The four of them went together, each carrying a kitten. The four kittens were not taken out and were left in the cat tea garden.
Yan Qing carried the princess in his arms, the little leopard perched on Fang Bi's shoulder, Xue Tuan nestled sleepily in Deng Chan's embrace, and Cheng Changfeng carefully held the general in his arms. Along the way, some people recognized the three cats as employees of the Cat Tea House and became very excited, either standing at a distance to watch or following directly behind the four of them.
The intense gazes from all around gave Yan Qing a different idea, but dealing with the immediate issue was still more important.
They went to the pawnshop together. Yan Qing planned to hire seven people to take care of each kitten. She and Fang Bi were too busy to look after both the kittens and the customers at the same time. Having someone take care of each kitten would give her more free time to plan the future development of the cat tea house.
After looking around, Yan Qing still couldn't find a suitable person. She brought the cats out hoping they could choose their own favorites, but the three kittens remained unmoved, so the group had to return empty-handed.
Not wanting to make a wasted trip, the group headed to the market to buy some toys for the cats. In just half a day, the cats had made quite a haul.
Yan Qing planned to come back another day to see if there were any suitable candidates, so she led them back to the Cat Tea House.
Taking advantage of Fangbi's momentary lapse in attention, the little leopard suddenly darted away, startling all four of them, who hurriedly gave chase.
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